1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a combined baton and flashlight. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a combined flashlight baton for use in crowd control and self-protection.
Police officers currently carry a flashlight and a baton, but as separate units. According to police regulations in various jurisdictions, police officers are required to carry both a flashlight and a baton at night. From a practical standpoint, police officers often leave the baton in their vehicle, because they want to have at least one hand free and, in particular, their gun hand free.
This invention proposes to overcome the aforesaid difficulties by providing a combined flashlight and baton and having a unitary structure of such a combined baton-flashlight. Police officers would then have a free hand, should they need to have access to their gun. Because the baton portion is generally made of hard rubber, it is possible to include part of the flashlight operative mechanism in the handle and part of the operative portion in a stick portion of the baton. The switch and related operative mechanism related thereto are provided in the handle so as to be readily available to operate the flashlight portion while holding the baton and to leave the other hand free. With the switch outlet being in the handle portion of the baton and not the stick portion of the baton, the user has a large freedom of movement and usage. Further, the improved combined flashlight-baton includes the switch along the side of the handle for ease and rapidity of operation.
The present invention proposes various procedures for the use of the flashlight switch and, while the on-off switch can be at the tip, it is preferred to have a switch button at the shaft of the handle baton for better operation. It has also been found that the ease of operation is tremendously improved.
A flashlight is considered to be an offensive weapon, whereas the baton is considered to be a defensive weapon. By combining the two into a single unitary device, it is submitted that the combined baton-flashlight is considered to be a defensive weapon and not an offensive weapon, and the flashlight portion is an auxiliary portion of the combined baton flashlight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been proposals made for a single unit which combines both a flashlight and a stick portion forming part of a baton into a single unit, but these have not established themselves for wide usage by police officers. In addition, batons currently used also include a handle coupled with the stick portion of the baton, and various attempts have been made heretofore to develop such a combined unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,649 to Nelson et al is one example of prior knowledge which is concerned with a baton-flashlight which includes a single barrel or housing having an elongated hollow metallic housing to receive a battery train and provided with a bulb enclosure to function as a flashlight with a switch provided on the outer circumference of the barrel proximate to the head portion containing the bulb. A spacer block is provided internally so that the operative portions of the flashlight do not have to extend the entire internal length of the flashlight-baton. This baton is not provided with a handle portion and, even if it were, the switch for the flashlight is provided on the stock portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,990 to Aguirre et al discloses a self-defense/attack device and includes a large elongated member adapted to contain a flashlight and a side handle projection to hold the device. The body is provided at one end, as an example, with a blunt tip and, at the other end, with means for providing a battery device, spray ejecting means and whistles, etc. The device is quite short, having a length which is not generally greater than the width of a human hand and, therefore, could be considered to be useful for carrying as a concealed device. This is not a police baton with a combined handle and stick portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,807 is a self-defense weapon which includes a single cylindrical member having an internal battery-operated mechanism in the form of a flashlight which can also generate internal flashes of visible light, piercing sound and electric shock.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,908,901 to Lewis is concerned with a protective device somewhat similar to a combined nightstick, flashlight and audible alarm, and includes a single cylindrical member having a flashlight bulb at one end, and an audible alarm in the body of the member. The audible alarm is activated if the stick is jarred or dropped onto the floor. This teaching is not directly pertinent to the subject matter of this invention because it does not have an orthogonal handle with a switch in the handle so as to provide for a suitable one-hand operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,764 is concerned with a combination flashlight, gun and billy, but does not show a handle transverse or orthogonal to the side, and the flashlight and gun are contained within the elongated body. The batteries extend the full length of the battery case and the switch is on the front collar.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,257,227 concerns a conventional nightstick with a flashlight at one end and a switch. A groove is provided near the handle portion to operate a switch to put the flashlight on and off.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,950,369 to Klein shows a hollow carrier for receiving the batteries in a flashlight baton and a strip 12 which runs along the vertical side of the cavity provides the electrical connection between the base of the batteries for spring 13 and one contact for lighting the bulb and the other contact goes through the center point of the bulb.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,171 to Mains discloses a baton having a stick portion with a flashlight at one end and a handle orthogonal to the stick portion. The handle includes a switch at the top end to activate the flashlight portion. The switch is basically operable from a single position in which the thumb of the user must be placed onto the end of the handle for operation of the switch, and the handle is rotatable relative to the stick portion to provide relative orientation with respect thereto.